Window coverings, such as horizontal blind assemblies, typically include pull cords to extend or retract the height of the blinds with respect to the window. Horizontal blind assemblies also typically include a head rail positioned adjacent to the top of the window and a plurality of equally spaced, parallel horizontal slats or louvers positioned below the head rail. In most horizontal blind assemblies, two pull cords downwardly extend from the head rail through the slats or louvers and form a U-shape or a loop around the bottommost slat or a bottom rail. One of the downwardly extending cords adjusts the horizontal positioning of one end of the bottommost slat or bottom rail of the blind assembly and the other cord adjusts the other end of the same slat or rail. The opposite free ends of the pull cords typically downwardly extend from an end portion of head rail to form a looped end or multiple single free ends knotted together or enclosed by one or more tassels. The head rail of the blind assembly typically includes a manually activated cord lock mechanism for fixing the length of the pull cords extending through the slats or louvers of the blind assembly to the bottommost slat or bottom rail. When activated, the pull cords and bottom-most slat or bottom rail are prevented from further downwardly extending from the head rail.
Unfortunately, pull cords present dangers for small children. Small children have been known to play with the pull cords which often includes pulling on such cords. When children pull on and play with the pull cords, their heads may become entangled in the cords increasing the risk of serious injury and strangulation. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 140 children have died in the United States by strangulation from pull cords since 1981.
A number of solutions have been proposed to reduce this risk of injury and strangulation. One proposed solution is to no longer form or tie the free ends of the pull cords together to create a loop or a knot. Another proposed solution employs the use of break away tassels which break apart when a force is applied to the loop, created by the tassel, to separate the free cord ends of the pull cords. Yet another proposed solution involves the use of a housing to substantially cover the free sections or free ends of the pull cords to prevent children from accessing the cords.
Existing blind assemblies and the proposed solutions to reduce the risk of injury and strangulation from the pull cords of blind assemblies have a significant drawback. Existing cord lock mechanisms within the head rails of blind assemblies require manual activation of the cord lock to fix the height of the blind assembly and the length of the pull cords downwardly extending from the head rail. A standard cord lock locks the pull cord, in part, due to the tension in the cord provided by the weight of the bottom rail. However, when the bottommost slat or the bottom rail of the blind assembly is extended such that it is resting on the sill of the window or a similar support structure, the cord lock mechanism is not typically activated to fix the height of the blind assembly. As a result, a child can easily grasp one of the pull cords extending through the slats of the blind assembly, pull out a section of the pull cord out from the blinds of the blinds assembly, and increase the length of the pull cord extending from the head rail through the slats. The increased length of the pull cord significantly increases the risk of serious injury or strangulation to the child resulting from entanglement with the cord.
Further, the existing proposed solutions to reduce the risk of injury and strangulation to children have generally been focused on the free segments or free ends of the pull cords and have not been focused on fixing the length of the cords extending through the blinds of the blind assembly to prevent a child from pulling the pull cord out from the slats of the blind assembly. As a result, a significant risk of injury or strangulation remains for small children coming into contact with a blind assembly in an extended position with the bottommost slat or bottom rail resting on a sill or a support and the cord lock in an unlocked or non-fixed position.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a window covering that overcomes this disadvantage of existing blind assemblies. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a pull cord restraining device that adjustably fixes the length of the pull cords of the blind assembly when the blind assembly is in an extended position with the bottommost slat or the bottom rail resting on a sill or support. What is needed is a pull cord restraining device that is inexpensive and adapted for use with new or existing blind assemblies. What is also needed is a pull cord restraining method or apparatus that is easy to install and operate.